Latest Super Bowl News

Domestic violence impacts thousands of people across the country every day — so many that there often isn’t enough space in shelters to accommodate victims who need temporary refuge. Major off-the-field controversies involving some of the sport’s more prominent players have put a spotlight on that subject during this football season. And one of the NFL’s biggest stars is leading an effort to address the problem. Russell Wilson, a University of Wisconsin graduate and quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks team that’s playing in its second-straight Super Bowl tomorrow, started the Pass the Peace initiative through his Why Not You Foundation.

Five members of the USA Women’s Olympic Hockey Team from the University of Minnesota donated 60 sets of hockey equipment to youth hockey associations. A new center at Penn State received a major grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to study – and solve – water pollution. The University of Michigan men’s lacrosse team shaved their heads in solidarity with a new teammate – who’s nine years old. Last week, Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo celebrated a birthday. Happy Birthday to Coach Tom Izzo. No chance he sees this, he has no twitter account? Cake & ice cream time!

A superstar with three Super Bowl rings, two Super Bowl MVPs and nine Pro Bowls could easily keep his offseason to himself, but Tom Brady chooses to devote some of his time to Best Buddies. For more than a decade, Brady, a University of Michigan grad, has teamed up with the global non-profit organization that benefits people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Best Buddies creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for its participants. The organization provides programs in middle schools, high schools, colleges, and more, in addition to running four events called Best Buddies Challenges.

If you had to associate Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson with one university, it would probably be Wisconsin, right? That seems to be the consensus, despite the fact that Wilson spent four years at North Carolina State, before transferring to Wisconsin in 2011 for his final year of eligibility. [ MORE: See pictures of Russell Wilson at Super Bowl Media Day ] It is no secret that Wisconsin has certainly claimed the Super Bowl quarterback as one of its own. Just take a look at the team’s official Twitter feed, @BadgerFootball. Also, there’s this billboard on Capital Blvd. in Raleigh,

Before the Super Bowl this weekend, be sure to read about the great work Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is doing in his community. Not a Seahawks fan? LiveBIG also profiled Judi’s House, founded by then-Denver Broncos quarterback Brian Griese, to help kids cope with loss. Literacy programs at the University of Minnesota recently received recognition from First Lady Michelle Obama. The University of Michigan received two grants, totaling $4.35 million, from the William Davidson Foundation to support university programs impacting economic activity in southeast Michigan. Read more about these initiatives here. The men’s lacrosse program at The Ohio State